BattleStar-eyed wonder

[Burt]

Originally Posted by Zeke

I love Agatha Christie almost as much as Conan Doyle; G. K. Chesterton also wrote some terrific mysteries (his detective was Father Brown).

I'd wasn't sure I'd heard of this guy, it sounded like something I knew...but that turned out to be the Father Dowling Mysteries.
Don't tell anyone I said that, ok?

I did find this cute story about a Father Brown movie though...

'While on set, filming the Father Brown movie, actor Alec Guinness was approached by a young Italian boy who, seeing him in costume, exclaimed 'Padre, padre!' and, hanging on his arm, rambled on and on in a language that Guinness didn't understand. Eventually, the boy said goodbye and left. Guinness, amazed and impressed that the mere uniform of a priest could inspire such trust and happiness in a child who was such a complete stranger, that he started to investigate the Roman Catholic faith, and subsequently joined the church.'

Originally Posted by Zeke

I'm a bit of a Polyanna sometimes, I know. But I'm glad of that. I'd rather my standards be too low than too high -- people who take everything cynically rarely find something they can just enjoy.

I totally agree with that. I'll reading anything once. And a few thousand times if I like it. Shakespeare I've tried - we learned about and read many in school - I've even picked up a few more and read them since. But it is really not my thing. But I won't turn anything new down.
I do remember a slight disagreement with a friend. He loved 'Lord of the Flies'. Best book ever he said and certainly best childrens book. While, on the other hand, I thought Harry Potter was. I read his, and while it was ok, I found it a little dull and depressing. He on the other hand read about 10 pages of 'Potter', and proclamed it 'Crap!'
Hey ho!
There is one book I want to read again, but I can remember it's name. It's about a bunch of people all over a town, caught in an earthquake (including one guy who has an (?)Irish surname). When they wake up the part of the town they're in has been shifted to another world, and it's now like a floating island in a no-where place. And there's this scary black goo monster thing, that doesn't like the light and is trying to kill them.
Sounds daft, but really was rather good. Anyone know it?